So I went to this party a few weeks back, a mixed crowd of boh Desis (us South Asians’ term for each other) and non-Desi (East Asian, Caucasian) collegiate folks. I was in conversation with this boy of brown descent near the punch bowl when the inevitable question came up: “Hey, are you desi?”
Now the fact that he had to ask wasn’t all that surprising to me. I don’t “look” stereotypically South Asian, I’ve been mistaken for Persian, Egyptian, Palestinian, Kuwaiti, and all kinds of shit in between. In typical fashion I tell the dude: “Somewhere in the general area” just to get a kick out of it. “Well, you’re Muslim right” he says, probably referring to the Allah (SWT) pendant around my neck. “So probably Pakistani.” Nope, I say, I’m Indian…South Indian at that!
The dude looks totally flabbergasted! No, he says, you don’t look Indian at all! I give him the line I tell every wiseass ignorant Indian boy I come across: “India has like 200 Million Muslims…equal if not more than Pakistan. Besides, dude…I have relatives in Pakistan. When it comes down to it, the two peoples aint that different.”
At this, poor brown boy’s head looks like its gonna explode. He simply can’t believe that a) I’m Indian b) I’m an SOUTH Indian MUSLIM and c) I’m an Indian who has relatives in the–gasp!–enemy country of Pakistan!
So the Question is: How can you tell an Indian from a Pakistani?
Answer: YOU CAN’T!
It’s a NATIONALITY, people. They are not two different races. It was one land till only SIXTY years ago! The only reason one group of people were either called Indian or Pakistani is because ended up on a particular side of the border! (Or in the case of Kashmir, you really are neither and both countries are trying to steal your land). And yes, it is entirely possible to have Pakistanis and Indians related to one another. In fact, many South Asian Muslims find themselves in that exact situation: I, for one, have extended family in both countries.
Yes, you might say, but isn’t Pakistan like 99% Muslim? Well, not quite. There are Christian, and yes even Hindu minorities in Pakistan, just like India is host to the second largest Muslim population in the WORLD.
However, I never tire of ABCDs (American Born Confused Desis, our oh so flattering moniker) trying to hash out the diff between Indian and Pakistani. It’s like asking if a Canadian and American have different genetic codes or something. It just doesn’t exist!
We are all “Desi” aka of the “homeland” a.k.a. South Asian…end of story.
